Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir has come to the defense of Mitchell Starc as the fast bowler continues to struggle in the ongoing IPL 2024.
The focus is firmly on the Australia pacer as he arrived in India for the ongoing competition after becoming the most expensive player in IPL history. The two-time IPL champions signed him for a whopping amount of Rs 24.75 crore.
However, Mitchell Starc has failed to justify his huge price tag so far. Not only has he had difficulty getting wickets, but he has also failed to maintain a good economic pace. In three of the four games so far, he has failed to take any wickets and has only managed to take two wickets so far. His 11 economy rate has only made things worse for him.
Gautam Gambhir defends Mitchell Starc:
While Mitchell Starc is facing criticism from various quarters for not justifying his price in IPL 2024 so far, he has received some much-needed support from Gautam Gambhir. The former KKR captain made it clear that he is not at all worried about the pacer’s performance in IPL 2024. Gambhir is also confident that Starc will make an impact in the upcoming games.
“There is no reason why you should talk about individual performance. I feel Mitchell Starc has done reasonably well. I think he has bowled some tough overs. And he will create an impact, what he was picked to do,” Gambhir told the journalists in Calcutta on Saturday (April 13).
“(Their bad stats) don’t matter, T20 cricket is about players getting smashed. We have three wins out of four. In a team sport, it’s the wins that matter. We have three wins out of four. Why shouldn’t they be happy with anyone’s performance? Look, people have good and bad days, in the end it’s the team that needs to win.
Also Read: Gautam Gambhir reacts to Chandrakant Pandit’s allegations
“And we got decent results in the first four games of the competition. And we all know how big of a threat Mitchell Starc is. Four games doesn’t make him a bad bowler. And four good games doesn’t make him a brilliant one either. bowler. So I know what impact he can create and what impact he will create in the competition,” he added.
Talking about KKR, they will look for a win in the next game to get back to the winning ways. KKR started their season with three wins in a row before suffering their first defeat in the last match against Chennai Super Kings. They will be in action next against Lucknow Super Giants at home on Sunday (April 14).